Acts 25-26: The Jewish leaders accuse Paul of blasphemy and other crimes and Felix the Roman governor puts Paul in jail until he can deal with it. But then Festus the new governor arrives and has to deal with it. Festus listens to Paul and realizes it is just a religious dispute and asks Paul if he will stand trial in Jerusalem before his accusers. Paul, a Roman citizen, appeals to Caesar. Festus says to Caesar you shall go. Then King Agrippa, the king over Judea, shows up and Festus tells him about Paul and Agrippa wants to hear him. Paul lays out his defense which is that a careful reading of the Scriptures show that Jesus is the Messiah. Agrippa realizes the same thing as Festus, that Paul just has a religious dispute and has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. Agrippa says to Festus, this man could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar....... First thing, you wonder why they didn't talk to Paul about changing his mind about his appeal and just let him go. But also, why did he appeal to Caesar? He says all along he was a good Pharisee and now is a fervent Christian, and in Acts 25:11 he says he's not afraid to die if guilty. So why wave your Roman citizenship around? Like I've said before, in every religion it's their way or the highway. No middle ground. Jesus and all the prophets and religious higher-ups warn against being lukewarm. But I say the world would run a lot smoother if people were lukewarm about everything.
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